CEMETERIES in Abbeyfeale and Ardcanny are the overall winners of this year’s Limerick burial grounds awards.
Organised by the Water Services section of Limerick County Council, parish committees, community councils, groups and individuals from across the county participated in the sixth annual awards scheme.
The scheme includes two categories, ancient and modern, with individual winners for each of the county’s four electoral areas.
Ardcanny Burial Ground picked up the overall winner’s award in the ancient section, while Reilig Ide Naofa (St Ita’s graveyard) in Abbeyfeale was named the overall winner of the modern section.
Council Cathaoirleach John Sheahan said that the scheme recognised the hard work of the many hundreds of people involved by publicly honouring a few. I am glad to see that the spirit of volunteerism is alive and well in Limerick,” he said.
According to Director of Services, Josephine Cotter Coughlan, the council assists the work of local burial ground committees through a “modest grant” and their work enabled the council to focus on other maintenance work such as boundary wall repair and consolidation to the ruined churches.
“A large number of groups and individuals looking after burial grounds throughout the county have this year benefited from such grants, to subsidise petrol and machine maintenance costs. The work has helped the council in its management of the county’s burial grounds and for that we are extremely grateful,” said Ms Cotter Coughlan.
